"Is he alone?" Lu Taobao asked.
"Yes, my grandma was worried about him, so she arranged for people to wait outside the mountain secretly, in case anything happened." Yi Zhixie, being the youngest in the family, naturally received more affection from his elders.
"Alas, Yi Zhixie is about to graduate. Are we old too?" Lin Xin leaned back on the sofa and sighed.
"Don't you know that men are like flowers at thirty?" Lu Taobao scoffed.
Among the three, only Zheng Wei sat there with a calm expression.
Just as Zheng Wei was turning the entire Imperial Capital upside down, in a remote mountain area, a group of children were gathered around a young woman in the center.
"Teacher Shen, your paintings are so beautiful."
"Teacher Shen, I used to think our academy was so ugly, how come it looks so beautiful now?"
"Teacher Shen, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. I want to be like you when I grow up!"
A group of children chattered around her. Shen Xiaoyan looked at their bright smiles, put down her paintbrush, and smiled back at them.
She had been here for many days. She had visited this place during her third year summer vacation. At that time, she had only stayed for a short period. Although this was a mountainous area, its connection with the outside world was not as poor as other remote places. However, there were still very few teachers. The air here was excellent. Every morning, when she opened her window, she could see the clear blue sky and verdant trees outside.
"Xiaoyan, lunch is ready! Come and eat!" Nà Gū, wearing an apron, came out from the separate kitchen and called out to Shen Xiaoyan and the children, waving a spatula.
Shen Xiaoyan responded and stood up, walking towards Nà Gū.
Nà Gū was the affectionate name the students called her. She had come from this village years ago. However, after graduation, she returned here, abandoning a promising future.
"Xiaoyan, eat more. These vegetables are all grown by ourselves, very healthy." Nà Gū looked at Shen Xiaoyan's slender frame, always feeling a little worried that the girl might be too frail here!
"It's fine." Shen Xiaoyan shook her head. "Nà Gū, please come and sit. Don't be so formal with me."
"Nà Gū has always wanted to ask you, did you have some conflict with your family? I haven't seen you call home these days..." Nà Gū asked worriedly.
Hearing her concern, Shen Xiaoyan generously shook her head. "I don't have parents."
The parents of the Qi family were probably the most heartless parents she had ever seen in the world.
She truly had no parents anymore...
When Nà Gū heard this, her expression was somewhat stunned. She clearly hadn't expected such an answer.
"Alas, poor child. If you don't mind, you can consider Nà Gū your mother from now on." Nà Gū reached out and touched Shen Xiaoyan's head. Shen Xiaoyan could even feel the calluses on her palm, and that long-lost warmth made her a little stunned.
"We're going to tidy up the vegetable patch this afternoon. Today, we've asked the villagers to buy many seeds, including Chinese kale, baby bok choy, and cucumbers. Would you like to come and plant vegetables with us?" Nà Gū instinctively felt some pity for this child, and her feelings towards her suddenly became the same as towards these children.
"Okay." Shen Xiaoyan nodded. She liked this feeling of being immersed in pastoral life.
"Alright, let's eat well first, and then we'll go after the nap this afternoon," Nà Gū smiled.
...
The new elementary school here was sponsored by an artist a few years ago. Although it was a row of bungalows, there was no shortage of student and teacher dormitories. Because Shen Xiaoyan was staying here long-term, she even had a separate small courtyard.
After taking a nap, Shen Xiaoyan walked out of the small courtyard. As soon as she reached the door, she saw a bouquet of beautiful foxtail lilies. She smiled knowingly, poked her head out, and asked in a gentle voice, "Which little darling gave Teacher the flowers?"
"Wow..."
As soon as Shen Xiaoyan finished speaking, several children rushed to the door, crowding together.
A chubby boy at the front grinned and said to Shen Xiaoyan, "Teacher, quickly go and nurture these flowers. They smell so good, and they can also repel mosquitoes!"
Shen Xiaoyan nodded and asked them to find Nà Gū first.
...
In the afternoon, Shen Xiaoyan rolled up her trouser legs and went to tidy up the vegetable patch with Nà Gū. A group of children followed behind, but after a while, Nà Gū sent them back to recite texts.
"These things grow so fast. When the baby bok choy is ripe in the fall, we can make pickled mustard greens. Nà Gū's pickled mustard greens are delicious. I guarantee you'll want a second bite after the first." Nà Gū said with a smile.
"That's great," Shen Xiaoyan sighed softly.
It was truly wonderful to stay here, so comfortable. In the past twenty-odd years, she had never felt so relaxed and free. She didn't have to think about anything. She taught during work and planted flowers and vegetables during her rest.
"Oh, right, Xiaoyan, I received a call from the county education bureau this afternoon. They said a volunteer is coming this afternoon. I heard they are quite capable. When this person arrives, you young people will have someone to talk to. You're just too reserved!" Shen Xiaoyan didn't talk much and was usually quiet. Nà Gū couldn't find much energy in her.
"Mmm." Shen Xiaoyan didn't think much of it. The environment here was good, and it was already nearing summer vacation, so it wasn't unusual for a volunteer to come.
...
However, in the afternoon.
When a tall shadow dragged a suitcase and walked to the entrance of the elementary school, Shen Xiaoyan's gaze was filled with unconcealable surprise when she saw the person's appearance.
Yi Zhixie?
Shen Xiaoyan never expected that the volunteer Nà Gū mentioned would be Yi Zhixie.
As their eyes met, the first thought in Shen Xiaoyan's mind was: the world is truly small.
Shen Xiaoyan was very surprised, and Yi Zhixie was even more surprised.
Before he left, he vaguely heard his older brother say that Brother Zheng was looking for Shen Xiaoyan, but he never expected... Shen Xiaoyan would be hiding in such a remote mountain valley.
Although the conditions in this valley were not bad, who would have thought they could find them in such a remote place!
"Teacher Shen, do you know that Brother Zheng has been looking for you?" Yi Zhixie blurted out instinctively.
"I've signed the divorce agreement. We have nothing more to say." Shen Xiaoyan thought Zheng Wei was looking for her to discuss divorce or division of property again. But she had already signed the divorce agreement. Even if she wasn't present, as long as he said the word, the divorce certificate would be issued. Shen Xiaoyan didn't think they needed to meet anymore.
"You're divorced?" Yi Zhixie had been in the academy and didn't know that Shen Xiaoyan had already signed the divorce agreement with Zheng Wei.
He then thought about it. The plan he and his brother had discussed at the time was meant to catalyze their divorce, so this outcome didn't seem that surprising. It was just... this woman was still a bit pitiable, no matter how you looked at it.
Yi Zhixie wanted to say something more, but Shen Xiaoyan had no intention of paying attention. Shen Xiaoyan wasn't foolish; she could understand Yi Zhixie's intentions from the way he spoke to her that morning. Furthermore, he was Lin Xin's subordinate, and she could understand the intricate dealings involved.
Therefore, when Lin Xin asked like this, she didn't answer at all. She turned back to prepare lesson plans and then went to teach the children.
Nà Gū had actually been standing behind them when the two were talking, but seeing the somewhat strange atmosphere between them, she only came out after Shen Xiaoyan left.
She could see that the two seemed to know each other, and it seemed they weren't on very good terms.
"Are you Teacher Yi? Welcome to Lingxi Village." Nà Gū shook hands with Yi Zhixie, pretending not to know anything.
"Teacher Yi, how long do you plan to stay here?" Nà Gū asked as she led Yi Zhixie towards his room.
"Nà Gū, I'm staying for a month," Yi Zhixie said respectfully.
In fact, he had always been very polite in his dealings with people throughout his life. The matter of calculating Shen Xiaoyan was probably the only thing he was ashamed of.
Now, seeing Shen Xiaoyan teaching in the classroom, he felt a pang of discomfort. Was it guilt? He wasn't sure himself!
...
Children always loved excitement. When Shen Xiaoyan finished the class and introduced Yi Zhixie to them, the children immediately became lively again.
"Teacher Yi is so handsome!"
"Teacher Yi is so good-looking!"
"If Teacher Yi is handsome, isn't Teacher Shen also beautiful?" Nà Gū looked at the little ones with amusement.
"Teacher Shen is also beautiful!"
She was met with another chorus of murmurs.
Shen Xiaoyan was amused by their earnest attempts to comfort her. She was actually quite reserved, but that sudden smile made Yi Zhixie pause for a moment.
How could he suddenly appreciate Shen Xiaoyan's beauty at that moment?
"Nà Gū, I'll take them back first. After they all go home, I'll come back to help you cook." There were still some children from the neighboring village in the class. To facilitate their return home, Shen Xiaoyan and Nà Gū would usually escort them halfway to the fields. Their parents would be waiting for them in the fields and would take the children home after finishing their work.
"Go and come back quickly!" Nà Gū reminded her.
"Mmm," Shen Xiaoyan nodded.
The parents also didn't want to trouble the teachers, so after safely handing over the children to their parents, Shen Xiaoyan turned back and returned to the elementary school.
When she returned, the big dog by the door barked excitedly. Yi Zhixie was sitting on a stool helping Nà Gū pick vegetables. When Shen Xiaoyan entered, they had just finished preparing the vegetables.
"I'll cook," Shen Xiaoyan said, taking two small basins of vegetables from their hands, and then walked towards the separate kitchen.
"Nà Gū, can Teacher Shen cook?" Yi Zhixie asked in surprise. In his opinion, Shen Xiaoyan didn't seem like someone who could cook. And perhaps because of his older brother, he felt that he had always looked down on Shen Xiaoyan, as if he had never thought of her in a positive light. Yet, just a day of interaction had already planted seeds of doubt in Yi Zhixie's heart.
"Yes, Xiaoyan cooks very well. I think she cooks better than the chefs in town," Nà Gū said with a smile. "Xiao Xu, tonight you'll get to taste Xiaoyan's culinary skills."
...
To welcome Yi Zhixie, Nà Gū specifically asked Shen Xiaoyan to add a meat dish tonight. Braised pork was considered a very elaborate welcome dish here.
Yi Zhixie waited for the meal to be served. When he saw Shen Xiaoyan carrying a dish out of the separate kitchen, her expression was serene, but there was a gentle aura about her. That appearance made Yi Zhixie stare again.
"Come, come, Xiao Xu, taste Xiaoyan's cooking. It's definitely of a master chef's level," Nà Gū praised him continuously.
Yi Zhixie had been a young master of a wealthy family since he was young. The dishes he had eaten were not exactly delicacies, but they were not far from it. Therefore, when Nà Gū praised Shen Xiaoyan so highly, he was somewhat skeptical.
But when he tasted the stir-fried greens made by Shen Xiaoyan himself, the texture truly stunned him. Even simple dishes, just simply stir-fried, were incredibly delicious.
He hadn't expected her cooking to be so good.
"Isn't it delicious? Try the braised pork again!" Nà Gū knew it was good from Yi Zhixie's expression. She pointed to the braised pork, and Yi Zhixie ate again. After this bite, his gaze directly fell on Shen Xiaoyan.
"Teacher Shen, your cooking is actually this good? My mother spends all day researching cooking, and she still doesn't cook as well as you." People like Yi Zhixie had more experience and naturally had higher aspirations. To be praised by him like this, Shen Xiaoyan seemed to be the first.
Shen Xiaoyan simply responded with an "Mmm" and said nothing more.
Yi Zhixie had only just arrived here and thought he wouldn't get used to the local taste, so he had various dried meats prepared by his grandmother in his suitcase. But he never expected that at his first meal here, he would eat two bowls of rice. It was truly unexpected.
Nà Gū knew that the two of them probably knew each other, but she didn't expose it. After cleaning up, she went to rest early. Shen Xiaoyan also didn't want to say anything to Yi Zhixie and was about to go back.
"Teacher Shen, wait a moment." Yi Zhixie saw Shen Xiaoyan turn to leave and quickly called out to her. He didn't know if it was his guilt from before, but in less than a day, he found Shen Xiaoyan more and more pleasing to his eyes.
"Is there anything else?" Shen Xiaoyan turned back expressionlessly.
"Teacher Shen, I apologize for what happened before. That was between you and Brother Zheng. I'm sorry." Yi Zhixie's eyes were fixed on Shen Xiaoyan's eyes, but he found that no matter how sincere his tone was, there was no change in Shen Xiaoyan's eyes. Reflecting the sunset behind them, her eyes were as quiet as a deep ancient pool.
"It's in the past, so let's not bring it up. I have something to do, so I'll be going back." Shen Xiaoyan replied without much enthusiasm and walked away.
Yi Zhixie stood rooted to the spot. Seeing her figure disappear into the small courtyard, he glanced at himself looking like a "waiting stone." In the darkness, only the young man suddenly cursed, "Damn it!"
...
Shen Xiaoyan's attitude towards Yi Zhixie was always very cold. In Yi Zhixie's perception, Shen Xiaoyan didn't intend to accept his apology at all. In fact, she didn't even seem to want to acknowledge him.
Yi Zhixie couldn't quite understand his own feelings. The colder Shen Xiaoyan was towards him, the more he wanted to approach her.
Of course, this wasn't due to a masochistic tendency. He just discovered that they had always underestimated this woman, or rather, their prejudice was too one-sided. There were indeed too many things about this woman that could be explored.